Best way to stir up sand

[ophiura]

Oh no, they are not killing the bacteria at all. I definitely don't mean "dead" in that regard...but people talking about "live sand" are also often talking about the additional critters in the sand - worms, pods, mini brittlestars, etc and not so much the actual bacteria on the surface. But those microfauna still serve a purpose in keeping the biological aspects of the sand bed healthy...in allowing oxygenation, and water circulation but on a small scale. So they are quite important to the biological functioning of the sand bed (and also in being part of the clean up crew).

 

[reefnut]

Originally Posted by guineawhop
they won't kill your sand bed.
As ophiura has been explaining they will in fact eat all the little critters that makes a sand bed functional. The bacteria is a small part of a big scheme in a live functioning sand bed.
So in a way YES a sleeper goby can kill a functioning the sand bed.